HBWnovel Chapter 408
Chapter 408
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 408: Gift Breakthrough (12)
The Cosmic Royalty.
Their exact cosmic standing was unclear, but from what was glimpsed today, they seemed comparable to a Level 4 under cosmic law.
And more than anything else—
‘There is some sort of solidarity among the royal families. Just look at how the Chairman protected Prince Aldo.’
Almost every royal family’s founder was someone who had written their own myth.
For an individual to carve out their own legend was something revered in the universe.
That was why the Chairman protected Prince Aldo—for the sake of the Shelbir Royal Family’s founder.
Even if it meant going against Mara, the King of Ten Thousand Demons.
‘It was honestly an insane move.’
To risk everything out of sheer respect for a legend someone else wrote—wasn’t that the very essence of cosmic romance?
‘And so, as long as the Chairman—who embodies romance itself—is present here, no one can lay a hand on Prince Aldo.’
As Yeongwoo’s thoughts reached this point, Aldo, the second prince of the Shelbir Royal Family, soared into the air, full of romance.
Screeeech!
—Uh, everyone? What is happening right now...?
Following Jiseon’s orders, the guests had picked up the prince and hurled him straight toward Toma.
—...!
Toma instinctively prepared to swing his blade, but then he hesitated at the sight of the insignia engraved on Aldo’s armor.
He, too, understood that in front of the Chairman, even another royal couldn’t be touched.
So, in the end—
—Tsk.
Instead of slashing, he reached out his left arm and caught the prince from the Caramel Kingdom.
THWACK!
At that moment, the guests, who had been waiting for this very chance, surged forward like a tidal wave.
All of them rushed toward Toma and the altar.
—Uwaaaah!
—Push him all the way!
—Grab his legs first!
The guests knew this was their first and last chance.
After all, when else would they ever get to brawl with a Level 4 being?
And finally—
BOOM!
With a dull impact, Toma fell backward onto his butt.
No matter how formidable a warrior he was, recognized even by the Chairman himself, holding his ground against dozens of people of varying power levels was no easy feat.
Not to mention, this was within the jurisdiction of the Family Court, limiting how much of his true strength he could display.
—Get up, Toma!
Hearing this, the Chairman suddenly sounded delighted.
But his opponent was no ordinary woman.
She was a former global corporate tycoon.
—Don’t let him get up! Just hold him down for two seconds!
As soon as Jiseon saw the guests piling onto Toma, she lunged forward.
Screeeech!
A chilling wind followed in the wake of her movement.
And before her second step even landed, the wedding gift altar was already within reach.
"...!"
Realizing this, Yeongwoo immediately turned his head toward Lemu.
At this point, the only other Level 4 being in the area who could stop his mother was the Architect, Lemu.
"Sir, you're not going to stop her, right?"
When Yeongwoo asked whether Lemu intended to intervene, the Level 4 machine simply smiled like a human.
□ Congratulations on the wedding.
"...!"
Yeongwoo’s eyes widened in shock.
And right on cue, Jiseon, reverting to her human form, landed on the wedding gift altar.
BOOOOM!
She had successfully broken through the wedding gift trial.
—D-Did we do it?
Standing atop the altar, Jiseon gazed into the air.
Toma, who had been struggling with the guests clinging to him, also lifted his head.
—...
And then came the system’s confirmation.
「Song Jiseon, Wedding Gift Breakthrough Complete.」
—Oh...!
Yeongwoo’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
Jiseon, seeing the altar glow brightly, quickly jumped back to the ground.
Tap!
「With the wedding gift breakthrough complete, the exchange of wedding gifts between the two partners will now take place.」
Yeongwoo, startled, looked up at the floating message, and already, several guests were making their way toward the offering altar.
“A ceremony certificate...? Like a marriage certificate?”
As Yeongwoo muttered, Kubu, who had somehow appeared behind him, blinked his large eyes and answered.
―Yes. It is a necessary document for the establishment of a new family.
“Oh, is that so? But why the photos...?”
Meanwhile, the ceremony system issued a public announcement.
「Guests who do not wish to be recorded in the official certificate should now exit the ceremony hall. Thank you.」
At this, planetary inspectors, who had already been preparing to leave, suddenly froze in their tracks.
―It seems the prisoners would like to be in the photograph.
Kubu answered before Yeongwoo could even ask.
And indeed, the inspectors shrugged and turned back, each escorting a prisoner toward the altar.
“Is... is that okay? Not that I mind...”
―The right to be photographed at an agreement ceremony is a universal privilege, so even law enforcement officials cannot override it.
In other words, even a wanted fugitive who had just been arrested had the right to be included in the final ceremonial photograph if they wished.
Thus, even the Planetary Inspection Team 9, despite being government officials, found themselves appearing in Jiseon and Jeonggu’s commemorative photo.
「Photo session will begin in 10 seconds. All guests, please put down your weapons.」
A large countdown timer appeared in the air, beginning the count from 10.
...10.
...9.
As Yeongwoo lifted his gaze, he saw the chairman’s throne positioned right above the offering altar.
―There is only one chance for the photo. Look straight ahead.
The chairman spoke as if he had attended such ceremonies many times before.
...8.
When Yeongwoo fixed his eyes on the front, he saw Aldo and the silver-white knights standing in a row at the very bottom of the frame.
It seemed the senior members had lost their battle for position and had been pushed to the lowest part of the angle.
‘Huh, then what about the other two?’
...7.
Yeongwoo turned his head, searching for Taru and Amana, when Lemu, who had settled directly behind him, gave a slight nod.
□ Whom are you looking for? Regrettably, it seems it is not me.
“Oh, just looking for my friends.”
...6.
Peering through the gaps in Lemu’s ornate armor, Yeongwoo was surprised to see a nameless skeptic hiding right behind the chairman’s throne.
‘They say the darkest place is under the lamp.’
...5.
Turning his head once more, he spotted CEO Toma standing like a statue, staring straight ahead.
And right next to him—
‘Ah.’
The guardian of the Sacred Planet Sutral, Amana, was struggling to straighten her ruffled feathers.
Beside her, the golem Taru was gently touching the crack in his chin.
‘They actually survived.’
...4.
...3.
As for the other villains, they had likely found their own ways to survive.
Relieved after confirming the survival of the senior members, Yeongwoo turned his gaze back to the front.
Then suddenly—
‘...Oh! My friends.’
He remembered his friends, still trapped in the Returnee’s Chamber, and quickly pulled out his whistle.
Fweeeeeep!
...2.
At that moment, a fist-sized circular marker appeared at the center of everyone’s field of vision, and from above, Yeongwoo’s four laborers fell one after another.
―Wh-what now?
―Everyone's already here?
―Are we fighting again?
―Ah... no, no, it's the official photo session!
As everyone voiced their confusion, CEO Kim Taejoon quickly grasped the situation and pointed toward the front of the offering altar.
A large circular symbol, resembling a camera lens, had appeared there.
...1.
...0.
With the timer now displaying "0," Yeongwoo stopped explaining and looked straight ahead.
Then—
「Photo session initiated.」
With a brief notification, the entire ceremony hall was engulfed in white light.
Flash!
The commemorative photograph had truly been taken.
Then, a follow-up announcement was made for the guests.
「Government enforcers are stationed beyond this planet’s orbit.」
「Any guests with outstanding warrants, accusations, or other inappropriate charges are advised to exit via the designated markers on the right side of the ceremony hall for a safe departure.」
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]